Application Instructions

Applications for the Criminal Justice Masters program are screened for fall semester entry only. All application material must be received before February 1 for consideration. Applicants are typically notified of admission decisions within 6-8 weeks of the deadline. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

Application materials that may be uploaded include:

Application for Graduate Study at Michigan State University may be submitted online here. The major code for the Criminal Justice Masters program is 4318. You will be prompted to upload the following documents and request Letters of Recommendation.
A statement of your academic and professional goals. This should include information about your motivation to study criminal justice, a description of relevant research and/or work experience, and any other information that you would like the admissions committee to know.
Three letters of recommendation from tenure-track faculty who can comment on your ability to perform graduate work.

Additional required materials include:

Graduate Assistantship resume. May be submitted here.
ONE set of official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended. A transcript of work at MSU is not required, unless you attended MSU College of Law. Transcripts from US institutions may be sent electronically, and will be considered official if they are sent directly from the institutions attended to the Graduate Program Coordinator, Mike Chapko. If they are mailed by the institution attended, they should be sent to the address that follows. International students must submit official transcripts in both the original language and English translation of transcript and diploma. Please have transcripts mailed directly from the institutions attended to:

Criminal Justice Masters Program
Michigan State University
Baker Hall
655 Auditorium Road Room 557
East Lansing, MI 48824
A Graduate Record Exam (GRE) score is not required for application to the on-campus Masters in Criminal Justice program.
International students must submit Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exam scores from a test taken within the past two years. MSU's score requirement is a minimum average score of 80, with no subscores below 19 for Reading, Listening and Speaking, and no subscore below 22 for Writing. The institution code for MSU is 1465. Students from countries where the primary language is English may have the TOEFL requirement waived with the approval of the department, college, and Graduate School. Please contact the Graduate Program Coordinator, Mike Chapko, to determine whether the requirement may be waived.

Please note while a criminal justice undergraduate degree is not required for admission to the program, applicants must have a background of education and occupational experience appropriate to the successful pursuit of graduate work in the School of Criminal Justice. Applicants that aren’t sufficiently prepared for graduate studies in criminal justice may be required to complete collateral coursework or pursue individualized study.

Criminal Justice

Master of Science